Justin Timberlake’s apology to ex-girlfriend Britney Spears and Janet Jackson is real, according to sources close to the star.
“He did it alone, and it really broke his heart. This is not about advertising, ”a source told Page Six.
On Friday, the “Cry Me a River” singer, 40, posted a long apology to the singers for their role in the way the media treated them after their separation from Spears and the consequences of Jackson’s Super Bowl performance of 2004.
Spears fans, in particular, have criticized him in the past few days after the New York Times doc “Framing Britney Spears” recalled his separation.
The documentary showed Timberlake claiming on a radio show that he had sex with Spears, 39, and claimed that his camp pushed the narrative that they broke up because she cheated on him.
Meanwhile, there have long been allegations that Timberlake allowed Jackson, 54, to bear the brunt of the reaction to his infamous Super Bowl performance at which Timberlake exposed his breast.
“I saw the messages, tags, comments and concerns and I want to respond,” wrote the singer on social media on Friday, “I deeply regret the moments in my life when my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of time , or did not talk about what was right. I understand that I failed in those moments and in many others and I benefited from a system that tolerates misogyny and racism. “
Timberlake referred to Spears and Jackson specifically, writing: “I care and respect these women and I know I failed”. He continued: “The industry is flawed. This sets men, especially whites, to success. It is designed this way. As a man in a privileged position, I have to talk about it. Because of my ignorance, I didn’t realize it for everything that was going on in my own life, but I don’t ever want to benefit from others being pulled down again. “
Our source added that Timberlake takes the idea of being part of the solution seriously.
“He realizes that he needs to speak and that it has been long enough,” they said. “He knows that he has sometimes benefited from these moments and that he should have said something earlier to defend the two. He is serious and very happy to be able to speak now. It is a broader conversation and he wants to do his part to help move the solutions forward. “
Spears and Jackson have not yet responded to Timberlake’s mea culpa.